I use "M" whenever I am first in line at a red light. Light turns green and I punch it but I notice the tranny bypasses 2nd and shifts me into 3rd. Is there a way to avoid this....besides easing up on the accelerator? I just usually down shift back to 2nd, build up my RPM's and shift back to 3rd when I want. I'm not redlining by any means so curious why it shifts itself from 1st to 3rd?

When you place the shifter in 'M' the car is not automatically in Manual mode, it's in Sport mode. Once you hit one of your paddle shifters, it switches to Manual mode. If you get tired of paddle shifting, you can push the shifter back up into 'D' and back into 'M' to go back to Sport mode.

The difference between Sport mode and Drive is that Sport mode has a different set of shift points and is more aggressive in that respect. It will hold a gear a little bit longer on acceleration and downshift quicker during decceleration.

Once you hit the paddle shifter, though, the shifting is totally up to you. Though, if you're in 3rd, 4th, 5th, or 6th and come to a stop, the car will automatically drop you down into 2nd.

The difference between Sport mode and Drive is that Sport mode has a different set of shift points and is more aggressive in that respect. It will hold a gear a little bit longer on acceleration and downshift quicker during decceleration.

There have been reports by people that looked at the shift tables that the shift points are no different from D.

When you place the shifter in 'M' the car is not automatically in Manual mode, it's in Sport mode. Once you hit one of your paddle shifters, it switches to Manual mode. If you get tired of paddle shifting, you can push the shifter back up into 'D' and back into 'M' to go back to Sport mode.

The difference between Sport mode and Drive is that Sport mode has a different set of shift points and is more aggressive in that respect. It will hold a gear a little bit longer on acceleration and downshift quicker during decceleration.

Once you hit the paddle shifter, though, the shifting is totally up to you. Though, if you're in 3rd, 4th, 5th, or 6th and come to a stop, the car will automatically drop you down into 2nd.

Tune the tranny and the shifts will be amazingly fast. Oh, and it's FUN. Don't listen to all the die-hard M6 guys out there about it being just a gimmick. You have the luxury to shift gears and drive in automatic mode in traffic.

Ps. - Downshifting gears while moving is amazing. It blips the throttle and you can hear your exhaust ROAR. It's sexy. lol